The Flash has long been the hopeful soul of the DC Comics universe. While much of the DCU has had more than its fair share of dark chapters, readers often consider the Flash in all of his many incarnations to be a bright spot in DC Comics. The world inhabited by the Flash and his Justice League teammates can be a harsh one, but the Scarlet Speedster's adventures frequently offer an enjoyable reprieve.
However, the Flash isn't free from grim twists of fate and has endured some dark chapters in his life. Indeed, there have been many Flash comics whose devastating endings leave readers with a sense of dread or despair that even the Fastest Man Alive can't outrun.
10 The Flash (Vol. 2) #99
By Mark Waid, Carlos Pacheco, Salvador Larocca, Jose Marzan, Jr., Tom McCraw, and Kevin Cunningham
The era of the Flash under writer Mark Waid is a hallowed time in the Speedster's history. Waid's writing allowed Wally West to emerge from the shadow of his mentor, Barry Allen, and claim his place as the Flash. However, Waid definitely put the Scarlet Speedster through the ringer.
As part of the "Terminal Velocity" storyline, Wally West found himself entangled with the Speed Force in The Flash (Vol. 2) #99 when in the midst of a battle with Kobra. With Wally gone, Kobra immediately sets his sights on Bart Allen, the young speedster Impulse, and sets him ablaze. While the storyline ended with Wally's return and Bart's recuperation, it was a visceral and disturbing cliffhanger.
9 The Flash (Vol. 5) #82
By Joshua Williamson, Rafa Sandoval, Jordi Tarragona, Rafa Sandoval, Arif Prianto, and Steve Wands
Over the decades, one of the constants in the Flash's existence has been his collected adversaries, the Rogues. Typically led by Captain Cold, Flash's enemies are well-armed petty crooks with a simple code of ethics: They don't kill women, children, or Speedsters. Once Lex Luthor increased their powers, though, their ambition likewise grew.
During "Rogues Reign," Flash got depowered, and Captain Cold allowed his absolute power to corrupt absolutely. The Rogues split into factions, with Cold wielding the most power, all but leveling Central City. The Flash (Vol. 5) #82 ended with a destroyed city and the Rogues without the one thing that set them apart from other DC villains: principle.
8 The Flash: Rebirth #5
By Geoff Johns, Ethan Van Sciver, Brian Miller, and Rob Leigh
Every DC hero has a villain who defines them. For the Barry Allen, it's Eobard Thawne, the Reverse-Flash. When Barry returned from the dead after Final Crisis, he found himself confronted by the cold case of his mother's murder. Eventually, the Reverse-Flash revealed that he has used his time-travel abilities to cause every bad thing that had ever happened to Barry.
Reverse Flash' dark deeds included murdering Barry Allen's mother. The Flash: Rebirth #5 ended on a grim note, presenting the disturbing idea of a person so filled with hatred for another that they would cause their adversary a literal lifetime of suffering.
7 Flashpoint #2
By Pat McGreal, Norm Breyfogle, Noelle Giddings, Heroic Age, and Rick Parker
The Golden-Age Flash is one of the earliest DC Comics heroes to travel through time. Time-travel has been an inextricable part of the Flash mythos ever since, but when Barry Allen used time-travel to avert his mother's death, the consequences were dire.
The Flash created a new timeline with no Justice League and a world on the verge of annihilation. With the help of Batman (Thomas Wayne), Barry recreated the accident that made him the Flash. When he's struck by lightning, though, the combination of lightning and chemicals simply set him ablaze, leaving him near-dead and covered in severe burns.
6 Last Days Of The Justice Society Special #1
By Roy Thomas, Dann Thomas, Mike Gustovich, Dave Ross, Carl Gafford, and David Cody Weiss
Jay Garrick, the Golden Age Flash, doesn't figure in many dark tales, but his luck changed in . Alongside his teammates from the Justice Society of America, Garrick found himself subjected to an eternal living death.
The JSA got transported to a limbo dimension by the Spectre. There, the team had to prevent a devastating timeline fracture and stop the decay of existence itself by taking part in the battle of Ragnarok. While the JSA proved victorious, Flash and his teammates were forced to live the epic battle in a never-ending loop.
5 The Flash (Vol. 2) #49
By William Messer-Loebs, Greg LaRocque, Jose Marzan, Jr., Glenn Whitmore, and Tim Harkins
In his early days as the Flash, Wally West's most sinister enemy was the evil immortal, Vandal Savage, one of DC's most ruthless villains. Involved in a global drug ring, Savage took several innocents hostage in a remote desert, prompting Wally West to sprint to their rescue. However, Savage used a platform to immobilize him.
When the Flash finally broke free of his confines, Savage shot him in the chest before leaving him to die in the middle of nowhere. Wally would be revived in the following issue, but the image of the Flash dying alone, painfully, was a dark image to end on.
4 The Flash (Vol. 2) #78
By Mark Waid, Greg LaRocque, Roy Richardson, Matt Hollingsworth, and Tim Harkins
Barry Allen's death in the epic Crisis On Infinite Earths was a watershed moment in DC Comics history. Just as Wally West was coming into his own as the Flash, Mark Waid's "The Return of Barry Allen" threatened to destroy Allen's memory and legacy. At first, Wally was elated to have his friend and mentor back, but it soured quickly, as Barry embarks on a deadly reign of terror throughout Central City.
At the end of The Flash (Vol. 2) #78, it's revealed that "Barry" is Eobard Thawne, who has traveled back in time specifically to destroy his arch-nemesis's posthumous reputation. It was painful to see Wally go through the gamut of emotions only to end with one dark, disturbing gut punch.
3 The Flash: The Fastest Man Alive #13
By Mark Guggenheim, Tony S. Daniel, Jonathan Glapion, Marlo Alquiza,Tanya Horie, Richard Horie, and Pat Brosseau
Bart Allen's tenure as the Scarlet Speedster was brief. The former Impulse and future Kid Flash lacked the maturity to fill his predecessor's boots. His death at the hands of his arch-foe Inertia and the Rogues was proof that Bart wasn't ready to be the Flash.
After Inertia used a machine to disconnect Flash from the Speed Force, the Rogues broke their own rule and tried to kill him. Bart regained his power and prevented the overloaded machine from destroying the west coast, but at the cost of his own life. Bart experienced a brutal death, ending his time as the Flash on a particularly dark note.
2 The Flash (Vol. 1) #324
It seems Barry Allen is destined to battle Eobard Thawne. After years of suffering at the hands of the Reverse-Flash, Barry reaches his breaking point. When Thawne threatens Barry's new fiance, Fiona Webb, the Scarlet Speedster loses his cool.
The Flash races to meet Thawne, and the two engage in an epic battle that culminates with the Flash savagely killing the Reverse-Flash. It was a rude, pre-Crisis awakening that heroes can't always be perfect. Barry would eventually be expelled from the Justice League and exiled to the future, leading to his sacrifice in Crisis On Infinite Earths.
1 The Flash (Vol. 2) #200
By Geoff Johns, Scott Kollins, Doug Hazlewood, James Sinclair, and Ken Lopez
Writer Geoff Johns subjected Wally West to some of the worst tragedies of his life in the "Blitz" storyline. Hunter Zolomon became the evil speedster Zoom and set out to teach Wally to be a better hero by subjecting him to ever-increasing suffering.
Wally West realized that Zoom didn't access the Speed Force but rather has become untangled from time. Wally then defeated Zoom by trapping him in a single instant in time. The Flash (Vol. 2) ends on the disturbing note of Zolomon reliving his mistake that led to the death of his wife on an eternal loop. Zoom had what was coming to him, but his was a dark fate arguably worse than death.